5 Fair and honest dealing

Principles

Fair and honest dealing is essential to maintaining trust with audiences and with those who participate in or are otherwise directly affected by ABC content. In rare circumstances, deception or a breach of an undertaking may be justified. Because of the potential damage to trust, deception or breach of an undertaking must be explained openly afterwards unless there are compelling reasons not to do so.

Standards

Dealing with participants

5.1 Participants in ABC content should normally be informed of the general nature of their participation.

5.2 A refusal to participate will not be overridden without good cause.

Opportunity to respond

5.3 Where allegations are made about a person or organisation, make reasonable efforts in the circumstances to provide a fair opportunity to respond.

Attribution and sources

5.4 Aim to attribute information to its source.

5.5 Where a source seeks anonymity, do not agree without first considering the source’s motive and any alternative attributable sources.

5.6 Do not misrepresent another’s work as your own.

Undertakings

5.7 Assurances given in relation to conditions of participation, use of content, confidentiality or anonymity must be honoured except in rare cases where justified in the public interest.

Secret recording and other types of deception

5.8 Secret recording devices, misrepresentation or other types of deception must not be used to obtain or seek information, audio, pictures or an agreement to participate except where:

a justified in the public interest and the material cannot reasonably be obtained by any other means; or

b consent is obtained from the subject or identities are effectively obscured; or

c the deception is integral to an artistic work.

In all cases, the potential for harm must be taken into consideration.

Mandatory referral

5.9 An appropriately senior ABC person designated for the purpose must approve in advance, having consulted ABC Legal, any proposal:

a to use secret recording during the production of content commissioned, produced or co-produced by the ABC; or

b to broadcast or publish material obtained by deception; or

c to broadcast or publish without attribution information that forms the basis of a report and the ABC is to be committed to protect the identity of the source of the information; or

d not to honour an assurance given in relation to conditions of participation, use of content, confidentiality or anonymity.